Nearly $1 million to be invested with university partners for hurricane advances

NOAA's Office of Weather and Air Quality has funded twelve multi-year proposals totaling $942,235 this year from university partners along with federal scientist collaborators to more rapidly and smoothly transfer new technology, research results, and observational advances through NOAA's Joint Hurricane Testbed (JHT).

These plans further NOAA's commitment to create a Weather-Ready Nation, in which the country is able to prepare for and respond to environmental events that affect safety, health, the environment, economy, and homeland security.

This year's plans range from $35,000 to the Cooperative Institute for Research in the Atmosphere in Colorado to develop a real-time surface wind analysis to $135,000 the University of Rhode Island to enhance tropical cyclone operational models.

"This is research-to-operations in action for hurricanes," said John Cortinas, director of NOAA's Office of Weather and Air Quality, the office that manages the U.S. Weather Research Plan (USWRP), of which JHT is a part. "For example, during Hurricane Irene, researchers tested new instruments and collected data that will help forecasters understand the state of the ocean under a hurricane and used satellite information to determine the current intensity of the hurricane."

The JHT was formed by the USWRP to advance the transfer of new research and technology to enhance the analysis and prediction hurricanes at forecast centers. The JHT provides a framework for NOAA, university, and industry researchers to work on specific topics related the hurricanes, such as enhancements to computer models, wind measurements, and satellite observations.

Plans funded in 2011 are:

• $98,776 - N.O.A.A. Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorological Laboratory, Dept. of Defense/Naval Research Laboratory, N.O.A.A. National Climatic Data Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison/Cooperative Institute for Meteorological Satellite Studies - Improvement to the Statistical Hurricane Intensity Prediction Scheme (SHIPS) Rapid Intensification Index.
  
  
• $45,000 - Colorado State University/Cooperative Institute for Research in the Atmosphere, N.O.A.A. National Environmental Satellite, Data, and Information Service - Enhancements in statistical tropical cyclone forest models.
  
  
• $76,072 - N.O.A.A. Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorological Lab - Improved SFMR surface wind measurements in intense rain conditions.
  
  
• $58,074 - N.O.A.A. National Climatic Data Center - Updating the secondary eyewall formation probabilistic model, completing new climatologies of intensity and structure changes associated with eyewall replacement cycles, and construction of new forecast guidance tools based on new climatologies.
  
  
• $69,517 - Florida International University - Enhancement of Statistical Hurricane Intensity Prediction Scheme-rapid intensification (SHIPS-RI) index using satellite 37 GHz microwave ring pattern.
  
  
• $35,000 - Colorado State University/Cooperative Institute for Research in the Atmosphere, N.O.A.A. National Environmental Satellite, Data, and Information Service - Development of a real-time automated tropical cyclone surface wind analysis.
  
  
• $135,000 - University of Rhode Island, N.O.A.A. Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Lab - Improving the operational tropical cycle models at NOAA/National Centers for Environmental Prediction and Navy/Fleet Numerical Meteorology and Oceanography Center.
  
  
• $83,588 - Florida State University - Introducing diagnostic variables towards extending the Statistical Hurricane Intensity Prediction Scheme (SHIPS) algorithm for hurricane intensity forecasts.
  
  
• $89,077 - University of Miami/Cooperative Institute for Marine and Atmospheric Studies, N.O.A.A. Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorological Laboratory, Colorado State University/Cooperative Institute for Research in the Atmosphere, Florida State University/Center for Ocean-Atmosphere Prediction Studies - Development of probabilistic tropical cyclone genesis prediction scheme.
  
  
• $89,470 - N.O.A.A. Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorological Laboratory, University of Wisconsin-Madison/Cooperative Institute for Meteorological Satellite Studies - Validation of Hurricane Weather Research and Forecasting (HWRF) forecasts with satellite observations and potential use in vortex initialization.
  
  
• $52,665 - N.O.A.A. Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorological Lab The Assimilation of non-NOAA and non-Air-Force global positioning system dropwindsonde data into N.O.A.A. numerical models.
  
  
• $109,996 - National Center for Atmospheric Research, Dept. of Defense/Naval Research Laboratory, Naval Postgraduate School - Improved automation and performance of Vortex Objective Radar Tracking (VORTRAC) intensity guidance.

Started in 2001, the JHT is supported in part by the N.O.A.A. Office of Weather and Air Quality through the U.S. Weather Research Plan and is jointly managed by NOAA's Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research and National Weather Service. More information is accessible online.

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